A One Bermuda Alliance MP believes more should be done to address the island’s feral chicken population.

Robin Tucker, the Shadow Minister of Health, highlighted the damage the birds can cause to agriculture and health.

Ms Tucker explained: “Some of the problems listed include crop losses, destruction on private and community gardens, crowing roosters and noise pollution.”

She added that the birds could transmit the highly pathogenic avian flu, salmonella and toxoplasmosis to humans.

Ms Tucker said: “Although knowledge of the potential environmental and health risks has been known for years, what tangibly is being done to prevent those risks from becoming reality?

“The Government does not need to reinvent the wheel to find solutions when recommendations are readily available.”

Ms Tucker, who also raised the issue as a senator in 2023, made the comments on Friday after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said feral chickens had affected “many fields of planted crops” on the island.

Farmer Tom Wadson said the birds, which are thought to have grown in number since Hurricane Emily in 1987, “might look pretty but they are an ecological disaster”.

Ms Tucker said a committee was formed to address the feral chicken problem through “community collaboration, education and sustainability efforts”.

She explained: “We attempted to share our ideas with the Minister of Home Affairs some time ago, but this did not happen.

“The committee is optimistic that we will have an opportunity to present our suggestions to the new minister responsible [Alexa Lightbourne] sometime soon and work collaboratively to bring about sustained and impactful changes to the benefit of all.”

The DENR, which typically collects about 700 feral chickens every month, released an updated management plan on February 24.

The 40-page document discussed controlling the feral chicken population through “co-ordination of resources, prevention of infestations, rapid response to public control requests, control strategies, research and education”.

• Visit www.gov.bm/online-services/report-feral-bird-your-property for more information or to report feral chickens